• Church, beset by mountains"Schwarzsee Classic" is Copyrighted by Flickr user: Jeff Pang (Jeffrey Pang) under the Creative Commons Attribution license.
  
  

Early Christianity

• Christianity blossomed"Cairo, Egypt" is Copyrighted by Flickr user: Bakar_88 (Andrew A. Shenouda) under the Creative Commons Attribution license.
  
  A Christian inscription found in Valais, Switzerland dates as far back as the year 377. As the Roman Empire declined due to universal decay and corruption Christianity became the anchor of hope to many.
  
  

Medieval Christianity

• Medieval church"Sant Andreu de Castellnou de Bages" is Copyrighted by Flickr user: Reinante El Pintor de Fuego (Jos¨¦ Luis Mieza) under the Creative Commons Attribution license.
  
  Falling under the Holy Roman Empire, Switzerland's Christian practices did not differ greatly from those of other regions. The medieval church, as elsewhere, found itself riddled with corruption.
  
  

Collegiate Churches

• Monastery"The interior of Mt.St.Michele" is Copyrighted by Flickr user: talliskeeton (Tallis Keeton) under the Creative Commons Attribution license.
  
  In response to Church corruption, in the 15th century four monasteries were converted into collegiate churches. These functioned as secularized monasteries with non-monastic clergy, operating under the jurisdiction of city governments.
  
  

The Protestant Reformation

• Sola Scriptura"120 year old Bible back (2005, American)" is Copyrighted by Flickr user: Wonderlane under the Creative Commons Attribution license.
  
  Huldrych Zwingli and John Calvin led the Protestant Reformation in Zurich and Basel, respectively. Protestantism took root in the progressive cities, while Catholicism remained dominant in rural regions.
  
  

Religious Tolerance

• Church prayer"Monks" is Copyrighted by Flickr user: the bbp (Giulio Bernardi) under the Creative Commons Attribution license.
  
  In 1874 Switzerland's constitution guaranteed religious liberty for all, excluding Jesuits. The ban on Jesuit activity was repealed in 1973.
  
  

Switzerland Today

• Peaceful landscape"Switzerland" is Copyrighted by Flickr user: Fr Antunes (Francisco Antunes) under the Creative Commons Attribution license.
  
  Nowadays the number of believers and practitioners is decreasing. Catholics outnumber Protestants, followed by small Muslim, Orthodox Christian, Hindu, Buddhist and Jewish communities. The atmosphere is largely secular.